This short tract, published in the year the Charter of The Governor and Company of the Bank of England was passed by the Parliament of England, owes its existence most likely to the fact that, at the time, the formation of the Bank of England was not unopposed. The tract addresses some of the public concerns and highlights the anticipated advantages of the ‘Project’ promoted by the Scotchman William Paterson. Paterson’s merits are still disputed. While Sir John Clapham (1944) puzzles “Whether he was strictly the originator of the final Bank of England scheme, or merely the mouthpiece of a City group, we cannot be quite sure.” (Vol. I, pp 14), claims André M. Andréadés (1909): “Paterson was a genius...” (p. 69).

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